April 13, 2008

What a crack up! I am calling myself an artist - but listen to what happened to me on Friday while I was outside photographing the new bracelet shown above. Then you tell me what I am!

I was on my deck, with my camera in hand, working on getting photographs of this new African Elephant bracelet. I stood up and suddenly there was a rushing sound to my left- just off the deck! It was a large deer and when it saw me, it too was startled and bound into the trees behind the deck. Following after it were three more deer - two of which were obviously last years youngsters.

They stopped several feet from me and started munching on ivy and looking at me like I was the stranger. But instead of grabbing my camera and taking lots of pictures.... I started yelling at them to scat and clapping my hands and stomping my feet!

All I could think about were my rose bushes and their brand new leaves! Last year the deer came along one morning and cleaned them off - every leaf and rose bud. I had to wait an extra month for my roses to bloom.

I wasn't going to let those deer think they could come by for another free meal of rose leaves so I stood on the deck looking like a fool - trying to scare the four deer that meandered off into the hillside - laughing at me all the way, I'm sure.

Am I really and artist? Or am I still a rose gardener? You tell me!

Once they were gone... camera still in hand... I realized my silly mistake. What great reference pictures those would have been! But no... it was my roses I thought of first.

I still have my rose garden. I gave up my lovely cottage garden border along my picket fence. I had the most wonderful selection of perennials. I'd moved and removed them till it was just perfect! But when I became to sick to care for it - I finally decided it had to go.

I was even willing for the roses to go... I couldn't care for them either. But my sweet husband took that over. He said there was no way we were getting rid of my roses as long as he could keep them up. I still insist on doing the pruning, but the trophy we won two years ago at the rose show had both our names on it!

So... I'm really not a gardener any more... but, I guess I have a ways to go, until I can really call myself an artist! (Laughing all the way - so you can too!)

April 10, 2008

Chris gave me an I-tunes card for my b-day. It was hard to choose but I finally bought "Come to the Quiet" by John Michael Talbot.

Someone gave this "record" to us as a wedding present. We listened to it a lot. It sustained us during our early years of marriage. It sustained Bill through many hours of sitting along while I was in bed throwing up during pregnancy. It sustained me through the good and the tough times of raising my first child."Birch Creek"(c) M Pruitt 2008

But as the years passed - we lost the ability to play a record. The songs have always stayed in our hearts, but I missed the simple and beautiful music of this album.So I bought it and ever since, these words - one of the songs - have been echoing in my ears. It's been my prayer for many years, and continues - even in these hard days of illness, to be my prayer for how I act, and think, and treat others.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,Where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light;where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;to be understood as to understand;to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

April 7, 2008

~Felt crummy: sometimes kinda crummy sometime really crummy~Painted a few ACEO's~Made a 2 bracelets~Sold 4 ACEO's~took a nap everyday~Got one shower~spent a lot of time online with new friends I'm making on Ning~got some music of I-tunes (my b-day gift from Chris)~went to a doctors appointment for a regular check-up~prayed a LOT for many friends going through tough times.

Oh... and I just ate a warm chocolate chip cookie that Ellen made!

Ellen's been cooking dinner every night during Spring Break! But tomorrow she heads back to Ballet. Thank you Ellen!!!

If I have a little more energy, I'll try to post again later this week with something more interesting... but it's important to me that I at least keep in touch.

April 1, 2008

Why haven't I posted a blog in over a week? I just don't know what to say. I feel miserable and I'm not doing much so I don't know what else to say. My prayer request today is that I could have enough energy to take a shower. I'm serious!

Amazingly, my stomach has continued to do well, and my Heart Rate is under control thanks to my trip back to Vanderbilt. But the fatigue - and I use that word for lack of something stronger and more descriptive, continues to grab at my feet dragging me to the bottom of the functionality scale.

We're doing a lot of good research and have contacted some wonderful doctors concerning ME/CFS and there is some exciting research going on concerning the causes and possible treatment of ME/CFS - so you can pray that we understand what we are studying and come to the conclusions that God would have us pursue. This is a long term prayer request.

As some of you know already, and have seen at our church, I was able to paint a large cross painting for Easter. Thank you to all of you who have noticed it and sent compliments to me through Bill.

I must say, it was an amazing experience. Being in a CFS flare, and only have2 weeks to paint it - I pushed so hard, I was often in tears over the exhaustion my body felt and the aches and pains that ensued. But then I would think about the exhaustion and pain Jesus went through out of love for me and I cried harder. It was a very moving experience to paint this cross!

The picture at the top is a front view and here is a slides show of some of the pictures I took while it was in process. It is 5 ft by 3.5 ft and practically filled the living room floor! Most often I had to paint it flat because watercolor is so wet it would drip. This is a special canvas made especially for water media. I hope you enjoy the slide show.